Did you know the makers of one of the most iconic instruments in music history are headquartered right here in town? ????
The Hammond Organ (yes, THE Hammond organ!) has its US headquarters at 219 Wrightwood!
It was invented in 1934 by Laurens Hammond, originally designed as an affordable alternative for churches that couldn’t fit or afford a pipe organ.
But some well-known musicians had other plans!
The Hammond became the heartbeat of gospel, jazz, rock, soul, and reggae. The list of legends who played one is pretty unreal: Led Zeppelin, Santana, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and my personal favorite, Bob Dylan, just to name a few!
You’ve heard the Hammond organ in hits like “Green Onions,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Smoke on the Water,” and “Whiter Shade of Pale.”
And allegedly, some manufacturing still takes place on the site!
Next time you hear that unmistakable Hammond sound, remember it has roots right here in Elmhurst!
???? Share with a music lover!
Transcript
Did you know that the makers of one of the most famous instruments in music history is headquartered right here in town? If you're new here, my name's Amara, and I do video marketing for small businesses, and I keep up on all things Elmhurst so you don't have to.
Hammond Organ, yes, *the* Hammond Organ, has its US headquarters right here at 219 Wrightwood. It was invented in 1934 by Laurens Hammond, hence the name, and it was originally designed as an affordable alternative for churches that couldn't fit or afford a pipe organ.
But some well-known musicians had other plans. The Hammond became the heartbeat of gospel, jazz, rock, soul, and reggae. And the list of legends who either played one or incorporated it in their music is pretty unreal. Names include Led Zeppelin, Santana, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and my personal favorite, Bob Dylan, just to name a few.
So, you've actually heard the Hammond Organ in hits like "Green Onions," "Like a Rolling Stone," "Smoke on the Water," and "A Whiter Shade of Pale." And even cooler still, allegedly some of the manufacturing still takes place right on this site. So, the next time you hear that unmistakable Hammond sound, remember that it currently has roots right here in Elmhurst.
